A BritishTesla owner has been banned from driving for 18 months for climbing into the passenger seat of his Model S after turning on its semi-autonomous feature. Tesla instructs its drivers to keep hands on the steering wheel while Autopilot is engaged. More »
Drivers in Dubai may soon be using digital number plates.
Dubai will begin testing smart license plates. Vehicles will be fitted with smart plates featuring digital screens, GPS, and transmitters by which messages can be displayed and cars tracked.
The plates will be able to contact the emergency services and the police in the event of a crash and allow communication with the other drivers on the road about hazards in the road or other traffic conditions. The head of Dubai’s Vehicle Licensing Department says that the devices will allow a quicker emergency response if the car is stolen. Along with its communication features, the digital plate will also allow easier access to services such as registration renewal, tolls, and parking fines. More »
Two-person, 110mph electric craft made by Google co-founder’s drone company begins regulatory approval process in New Zealand
Kitty Hawk is the “flying car” company that is financially backed by Google founder Larry Page. The firm has announced that it will begin the regulatory approval process required for launching its autonomous passenger-drone system in New Zealand. Kitty Hawk has already conducted secret testing under the cover of another company called Zephyr Airworks.
The all-electric craft, called Cora with a wingspan of 36ft has been eight years in the making. It can fly autonomously up to 3,000ft above ground.
The two-person craft is a 12-rotor plane-drone hybrid that can take off vertically like a drone, but then uses a propeller mounted at the back to fly at up to 110 miles an hour for around 62 miles at a time.
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Ford is planning to test its self-driving vehicles on the streets of downtown Miami and Miami Beach.
The Michigan-based automaker has started a pilot program that includes delivery service, testing self-driving cars around the city and setting up a fleet-management center.
The company’s commercial plans for robot cars include ride-hailing and deliveries, the automaker announced a few days ago. The tests will find out what works for both customers and companies. In addition, the company needs to figure out how to run an armada of autonomous cars which means to focus on maintaining and operating a whole fleet of robot delivery cars. That is why the Detroit automaker is going to build its first operations terminal in Miami.
The vehicles arrived last week, and tests are already underway. More »
Lockheed Martin allowed a rare tour of the classified F-35 Mission Simulators on Wednesday, which are in an Air Force-restricted building. It is usually open only to pilots, instructors and other key personnel.
The simulators are part of the $1 trillion F-35 program which is being developed by the defense giant at its Training and Logistics Solutions facility in East Orlando.
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China’s Geely buys a $9 billion stake in Daimler.
Li Shufu, the founder of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. has acquired a nearly 10 percent stake in Daimler AG, the German company said in a regulatory filing Friday.
The stake, which is worth just over $9 billion at the current market price for Daimler shares, makes Li Shufu the biggest single shareholder in the maker of Mercedes Benz cars, trucks and vans and marks the biggest investment in a global automobile manufacturer by a Chinese company. More »
Sony is developing an AI-based taxi hailing system. Algorithms would predict when you are likely to need a ride.
As Sony wants to expand its artificial intelligence presence in both the commercial and business sectors, Sony is forming a joint venture with five taxi operators in Japan. The joint venture is going to launch a taxi-hailing system that will use artificial intelligence to predict customers’ demands.
Sony’s partners in the creation of an AI-powered hailing platform include Tokyo-based Taxi operators Checker Cab, Hinomaru Kotsu, Daiwa Motor Transportation, Kokusai Motorcars, and Green Cab. More »
Intel is planning to launch consumer smart glasses this year.
Intel has developed a prototype for a set of smart glasses that are designed to look normal but are able to provide information like a smartwatch.
Called Vaunt, but reportedly known internally as “Superlite”, the regular-looking glasses are impressively light. They have plastic frames and weigh no more than 50 grams.
The device allows you to check information while doing other activities. For instance, you can check a person’s birthday or other info while you’re chatting on the phone. Sensors can also detect whether you’re in the kitchen and give you recipes or a shopping list. More »
The autonomous cars and robots will lead to mass unemployment.
Аccording to Dr. Subhash Kak, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a leading expert from Oklahoma University, artificial intelligence, and self-driving cars could put a third of all people out of work.
Vehicles that transport people using artificial intelligence are increasingly becoming a part of our everyday life. Dr. Subhash Kak believes a third of jobs will be lost.
Dr. Kak also warns that as robots are taking control of the world, humans are heading for a dystopian future with mass unemployment. Autonomous cars and artificial intelligence are making an impact in all business sectors. Dr. Subhash Kak says that as one-third of the people in any advanced economy are engaged in transportation, those employees will lose their jobs as soon as self-driving cars become widely adopted. Kak predicts a world where robots replace humans and machines will work at a cheaper price and longer hours without getting tired. More »
Ferrari to challenge Tesla with an electric supercar.
Ferrari claims it is building an all-electric supercar that will compete with the next-generation Tesla Roadster and the Italian carmaker will be the first company to bring an EV supercar to market.
Ferrari is challenging Tesla by jumping into the electric car space. Sergio Marchionne, Chief Executive Officer of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said on Tuesday at the Detroit auto show that the car manufacturer plans to build the first electric supercar. Marchionne said that if there was an electric supercar to be built, then Ferrari would be the first. More »